Women in Ardabil Throw Old Shoes into River ahead of Nowruz

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March 18, 2020

Women in Ardabil Throw Old Shoes into River ahead of Nowruz (4)

The traditional “No-Usti” ritual means jumping over water which is held every year on Baliqli Chai river in Ardabil’s “Haft Cheshmeh”.

Every year, Ardebili ladies come to “Haft Cheshmeh” [Seven Springs] with a handful of scissors sweep, and earthenware to make wishes and forget the melancholies.

They sweep the water, throw small pebbles and old shoes into the water, and try to cut water with scissors.

They also cross the water for seven times.

Here are the photos of this ritual retrieved from ISNA and Tasnim News Agency:

NB: In 2020, the ceremony was called off over the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The following photos are from the previous edition.

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Top 6 Online Card Games in India

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Entertainment Wire

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March 18, 2020

Of late, it has become more of a challenge to play card games the conventional way due to the hectic lifestyle that most of the people lead. However, the same old card games are now accessible right on your laptop or smartphone and it is possible to play these games virtually with your friends and family. Here’s a look at card games in India, which are very popular online.

Rummy

Rummy is the name that would top any list of popular card games in India. With easy online accessibility, the already popular card game has reached every nook and corner of the country exponentially. This skill-based game requires the players to think quickly and devise appropriate strategies to win.

In this 13-card game, the players need to form sequences and sets before making a winning declaration. It’s compulsory to form two sequences to win out of which at least one has to be a pure sequence. Sequence here refers to a group of 3 or more successive cards of the same suit. In a pure sequence, the players shouldn’t use a Joker card; if a Joker card is involved, it is an impure sequence. Players can also form sets, which means 3 or 4 cards with the same value but belonging to diverse suits. Almost every casino portal that has table games has Rummy on its list of card games.

Teen Patti

Teen Patti, which literally translates to Three Cards, is a card game that gets its inspiration from 3-Card Brag, a well-known British card game. It also has some similarity with Poker, which is why it also referred to as the Indian Poker. The other names by which this game is known are Flash or Flush. A Bollywood movie has also been named after this card game.

You can play Teen Patti live online with up to 5 players on the table. There are two sets of 3 cards each placed on the table. Each set would have two closed cards and one open card. Each player is dealt with 3 cards. The players have to arrange their cards in one of the several combinations that have different rankings, ranging from Set or Trail, Sequence and Pure Sequence to Pair, High Card and Colour.

Satte Pe Satta

Here’s another very popular Indian card game – the popularity of this game is so huge that a Bollywood movie has also been named after it. Satte Pe Satta is referred to by various names in English, including Sevens, Fan Tan, Parliament and Dominoes. This strategy-based game is filled with fun.

This game is played by 3-8 players using a deck of 52 cards. The player who gets the first card with value 7 belonging to hearts suit starts the game. The next player gets a chance to play if he has the card 6 or 8 from hearts suit. In case he doesn’t have it, the turn passes to the next player. The game proceeds when a card of value 7 from any other suit is laid. With this, the process for that colour gets unlocked. The winner of the game is the player who first finishes all the cards.

Bluff

Known by several other names like Cheat and BS, Bluff involves bluffing in order to finish all the cards at the earliest possible chance and win. This exciting card game can be played by four or more players. It is a strategy-based game that calls for mastermind abilities and expressionless face in addition to a bit of luck. You have to monitor the behaviour of your opponents and then call their bluff.

A player needs to put down at least one card (or more than that) face-down with similar values. Then, he has to declare which cards those are (example: two Kings, one ace etc.). The remaining players have to guess whether the player is telling the truth or bluffing and check the cards. If the player was telling the truth, the cards would return to him and if he was bluffing, the cards would go to the player who checked. This exciting game can keep all the players on the edge throughout the game.

Andar Bahar

This traditional 50/50 card game is very popular among the Indian card game lovers. This simple card game has very easy rules to follow. Locally referred to as Katti, it requires a balance of luck and well-informed guesses.

Andar Bahar is played with a deck of 52 cards. At the beginning of the game, the players are supposed to bet on their assumption of how the game will end. The dealer deals a single card with face upwards at the centre of the table and the other cards face up to its right and left. When a card matches the middle card’s value, the game ends.

Bridge

Bridge is a common card game that is played not only in India but across the world. Several books have been written based on this game. It’s common to find Bridge tournaments happening across the globe.

Played using a pack of 52 cards, each player is dealt with 13 cards. At least four players are needed to play this game. In Bridge, the suits follow ranking with the lowest ranking from Clubs and the highest from Diamonds, Hearts and Spades. Involving bid and play, this is a highly challenging card game that needs a mindful approach for winning.

Card games are filled with fun and excitement. Each of the above-mentioned games has its own turns and twists, which make the game interesting to play. If you are new to all card games in India, try your hand at any of these and you will realise how engaging they can be.

Research Paper on Reasons for Homelessness

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Entertainment Wire

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March 18, 2020

When considering the term “homelessness,” many of us imagine people with, let’s call it that way, untidy looks, and self-destructive behavioral patterns. Well, this is a usual social consensus, and that is why we need to talk about homelessness, just to make things clear and avoid false stereotypes that are fueled by just a few yet very visible cases. That is why the homelessness topic is so important – we have to know the real reasons behind this issue. Doing research in this direction is very important, as it would be possible to find the real reasons behind it instead of thinking, “yeah, they did that to themselves.”

Why should we research this?

You might ask this question, and it’s rather obvious, not going to lie. The issue of homelessness has been present since the dawn of civilization, and this simple fact implies that it’s not curable. Well, even if it’s not, we need to research it for the simple reasons – why it happens now! You can find a share of essays on homelessness on different web resources, such as StudyMoose, which means that this topic is quite important and widespread. After all, why write an essay about homelessness when you know everything about it? That’s the trick – if it’s such as a pressing topic, it means that there are still things to find out. So, researching the issue and writing a paper about it can have a considerable impact.

The importance of the topic

You see – if the issue persists for centuries and thousands of years means that it has some roots in the very nature of the world. So, let’s rewind our typical views of the homeless people. You usually see some dirty people along the pavements and might think that they have brought this on themselves. However, have you ever tried talking to homeless? There are lots of homelessness essays out there, and people describe their experiences after talking to these people. Well, you might be surprised, but the majority of homeless have one thing in common – poverty. As it appears, the majority of cases are connected to poverty and issues with things such as local financing of schools, infrastructure, etc. Basically, all the things that contribute to the development of a person in a long-term run.

Some more details

As it was found out by many people, especially the ones willing to communicate with the homeless, the reasons for the issue are usually way far from things such as alcohol or drug abuse. For example, the top reason for homelessness is quite obvious – insufficient income, coupled with a lack of affordable housing. We all know that the current real estate market is some sort of a circus show, with a dark and sinister tone to it. Well, it leads people to different things, including things such as homelessness. The second reason is the crazy rent. Who would have thought, right? Most affected people and statistics point out that this reason for a loss of living space is caused by rents that can drain more than half of the monthly income from people. Sounds wild, I know.

Write about that!

It is of the crucial importance to disclose pressing social issues that can affect the life of people. Coupled with the stereotyping culture and insensitive behavior or lots of people, the importance of showing others how homelessness topic is actual today is mandatory, as this social group is isolated in some ways. Highlighting the topic while performing academic research is a combination of things that are able to enlighten large masses of people, which can make the world a better place. You see, giving a proper source or a solid piece of evidence is way better than going into populism with its bright yet useless speeches. That is why doing your part, even if it means writing essays on homelessness, is a great way to make a difference.

Conclusion

The topic at hand is quite an interesting one. It is plagued by stereotypes and generally negative attitude of people towards individuals from other social layers, but it’s important. Any student can go and to homeless people to find out about why they are where they are. You’re most likely to hear about some external reason, either unaffordable housing, rent issues, or household abuse from both men and women. That’s why talking and writing about this topic is so important. People have to understand that the issue that exists for thousands of years cannot be caused solely by individual bad choices of people. There is a constant trend, and people tend to overlook it. So, I suggest you to go deeper into research and find out more information regarding the topic; it might serve as a revelation to some people. It might serve as an inspiration to others. Either way, it can change the world, just slowly, step by step.

Rouhani Denies COVID-19 Infections Announced with Delay

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IFP Editorial Staff

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March 18, 2020

Speaking after the last cabinet session of the Iranian calendar year 1398, Rouhani said his administration had “talked to the people honestly” about the virus outbreak.

He slammed what he called “lies and propaganda” spread online and said there were no “delays” by authorities in announcing infections or testing people.

“Some ask why the government isn’t intervening, but I think we have intervened significantly,” the president said on Wednesday.

“Great things have been done (including) measures no other country has taken,” he said in televised remarks after a weekly meeting of his cabinet.

“We will get past these hard days,” Rouhani added, flanked by ministers wearing face masks.

His comments came shortly after the Health Ministry confirmed 147 new deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest figures released by the Health Ministry show the number of coronavirus infections has risen to 17,361, out of whom 1,135 have died and 5,710 have recovered and been discharged from hospital.

In his Wednesday remarks, Rouhani also noted that the government is doing its best to ease the enemies’ economic pressures on the people.

What follows are excerpts from his speech:

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

I would like to congratulate year 1399 to the great Iranian nation. It is very regrettable that we are celebrating this Nowruz without some loved ones who were either unfairly assassinated by the US, or lost in the bitter Ukrainian plane crash, or the funeral of our great commander in Kerman, or in this tough disease.

I believe that the year 1398, which we are in the last days, was the year of honour for the great Iranian nation. Our people managed to resist the enemies’ plots aimed at making their lives hard and forcing them to surrender.

In the economic field, which the enemies’ pressure was on people’s lives in year 1397 and 1398, the harshest pressures were on the Iranian nation, the economy and the oil industry.

For the first time in the history of Iran, we were able to manage the country and economy without oil budget. 1398 was the year of economy without relying on oil.

In the year that passed, despite all pressures, our economic heroes could keep our economy in a fairly stable position. This year, our point-to-point inflation decreased to 25% from 52%, which is an honor for our great nation.

The nine-month figure tells us that in 1398, our economic growth is positive with and without oil. We hope that the fourth quarter shows the same figures, which is very important in our history.

Because of the pressures people were under, we increased the employees’ salary 20% in year 1398. The government is doing its best to ease the enemies’ economic pressures on the people.

This year, we added a support package for 60 million economically depressed people in the country, and we have paid the package since 4 months ago, and we will pay it next year, God-willing.

I would like to mention the floods that happened in the beginning of this year, which was almost unprecedented. The heavy rainfalls caused floods in 25 provinces and the estimated damages it made was 35 trillion tomans.

Houses of all people who were hit by the floods earlier this year were reconstructed or mended. We were able to reconstruct about 80,000 houses in the flooded areas this year and build about 30,000, with construction totaling about 46,000 housing units in the next couple of months.

In addition to economic issues, political and security issues happened in year 1398 as well. First, we began reducing our commitments in response to the governments that were not able to act well regarding the nuclear agreement. Today, our nuclear industry is working free of any kind of limits, and great work has been done today, which we will explain more on April 8.

In the international court, our case against the United States’ crime won and we were able to resist America’s other plots strongly.

The Americans assassinated our great commander and we have not left –and will not leave- his assassination unanswered, because our armed forces gave a strong response to them and showered their major base in the region with missiles, which I believe the Americans will not forget it ever, because it was the first time in this region that they received a decisive and quick response for their savage, cruel act.

Most important than that was people’s response in Iran, Iraq and other countries. They thought that they could break our people because they had assassinated the commander of resistance, but it turned out to be the other way round and our resistance became stronger against the US’ aggression.

I cannot recall any strong response to the United States’ aggression with their drones. We downed their drone, which had breached our territory, with our own air defence system.

God-willing, we will continue the Bavar-373 project next year and make it stronger and more complete. I feel obliged to appreciate all military forces in the country for decisive resistance against the United States.

Although the Ukrainian plane crash was very regrettable and unbelievable, two things happened in response to it; first, it was people’s sympathy. All people and the authorities, from the Supreme Leader of the Revolution to all people, respected their bloods and called them martyrs. The other thing that happened was that the armed forces came and told the truth in the shortest time possible and apologised for it bravely.

In year 1397 and 1398, we unveiled the greatest projects. In the field of utilities, dams and refineries, in the second half of the year, 227 major projects were opened with 33 trillion tomans.

This year, in addition to wheat, our rice production was also unprecedented and took us near self-sufficiency. God-willing we will open very important projects in the fields of water and canals.

From the end of this year, the country’s gas production is 1,000 million cubic meters per day, which is happening for the first time in the history of Iran.

When the 11^th government took office, 10 phase of South Pars had been inaugurated, and we opened 17 other phases. This means we have finished 27 phases, except for Phase 11 which is yet to open.

Another important thing was the discovery of the greatest oil reserves in the history of Iran. We discovered 53 billion barrels of oil in southwestern Iran, which was named Namavaran.

This is the case in all areas, including in the field of railways. You see, in the last few months, we have launched three major projects around Tehran. The important North Freeway that connects Tehran to the North, which reduced 90 kilometers to 32 kilometers, is one of the great masterpieces of building our country in terms of bridges and tunnels.

The same road we opened yesterday connects Shahid Hemmat Motorway to Karaj. When this government took office, only 3 per cent of this road was completed and this government completed the remaining 97% in 6 years.

Unveiling major projects in the hardest times of sanctions was a stinging slap on the aggressive superpower.

Coronavirus is not specific to our country. Right now, 170 countries around the world are grappling with this virus. We managed coronavirus well, which is very honourable.

Compare Tehran with London, Berlin and Paris. It is a simple math. Their shelves are free and they are fighting over a tissue and people are very worried about foodstuff and their hospitals are announcing that they do not have any room left.

Here, I would like to emphasise to the people that the government has done everything it can; for sanitary and medical equipment to equipping hospitals, the facilities needed for dear nurses and doctors. We have increased whatever is produced domestically and we will import whatever we needed from overseas.

I would like to thank the Supreme Leader for endorsing the Supreme National Security Council resolution on coronavirus and the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus.

In the field of congregations, a great deal has been done in the country and I want to thank the great maraji, clerics and Friday prayer imams. They broke ossification. Great work has been done; it is not easy to stop Friday prayers.

God willing, in 1399, may God send His blessings and healing on the sick and all those who are hospitalised, and may He help us through these difficult days.

The government is ready to serve people next year. From the first office day in the new year, we have plans. Our first official working day is Saturday, which will begin with the session of National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus.

I thank the newspapers, the media and cyberspace and all those who serve, and I wish them a very good year, and may God bless us all next year.

Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Coronavirus Kills 147 Iranians in 24 Hours: Official

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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March 18, 2020

Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi on Wednesday confirmed 1,192 new cases of coronavirus infections, including 147 new deaths, during the past 24 hours.

The 17,361 cases include 4,260 in Tehran, 1,494 in Mazandaran, 1,538 in Isfahan, 1,074 in Qom, 924 in Gilan, 906 in Alborz, 782 in Markazi, 661 in Khorasan Razavi, 577 in Semnan, 571 in East Azarbaijan, 526 in Qazvin, 471 in Yazd, 363 in Lorestan, 359 in Khuzestan, 386 in Fars, 351 in Golestan, 300 in West Azarbaijan, 261 in Zanjan, 213 in Ardabil, 189 in Kurdistan, 155 in Hamadan, 152 in Kermanshah, 140 in South Khorasan, 120 in Ilam, 127 in Kerman, 124 in Hormozgan, 88 in Sistan and Baluchestan, 52 in North Khorasan, 49 in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari 46 in Bushehr, and 45 in Kohgiliyeh and Buyer-Ahmad.

Coronavirus Considered as H1N1 in Iran for Long Time: Deputy Minister

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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March 18, 2020

According to the Iranian official, many of the cases were thought to be H1N1, so it was thought to be flu. That was the time when China had not announced the spread of the virus yet.

“Of course, we should have acted more watchfully. I think we were a little late in the announcement because we did not know it is coronavirus,” added Malekzadeh.

Malekzadeh was born in the village of Baladeh in Kazeroon in 1330. But years later, he became one of the best physicians in the country. He is now one of the top one percent of Iranian scientists in the world’s medical arena. He used to serve as the caretaker of the health ministry for a while and held various research and scientific positions. The establishment of the Liver and Gastroenterology Research Centre as well as many other scientific, research and executive work are among his achievements.

Here are excerpts from Dr Iraj Malekzadeh’s televised interview about the Coronavirus outbreak in Iran and the world:

We are nearing the peak of the corona epidemic. It is a global pandemic and a highly contagious infection. Fortunately, more than 85 percent of people who get the disease do not feel it because they have minor symptoms. People get well without knowing it. Many people may have been infected and gotten well. So they are not susceptible to reinfection.

Q: It’s been said if anyone gets infected they can be reinfected.

A: I can say for sure when people get it once they are safe. We get rid of the virus when 55 to 70 percent of people get infected. That’s because we always have gatherings in our country and people gather in different places on different occasions. Therefore, we will have a wide spread of this in Iran. We do hope that the peak will be gradually past. This is a disease that we can overcome. We have a lot of fatalities and it is unavoidable, but our health system in the whole country is under pressure right now. Fortunately, we have physicians and specialists in all parts of the country. We currently have more than 45,000 specialists across the country serving people with over 150,000 hospital beds. We can also take care of the people who need hospitalisation and treatment.

Q: You mentioned that the disease had been around for almost two months. There were reports that respiratory diseases had increased dramatically in Qom in the last two and three months. Has there been any negligence in this regard?

A: Well, the virus had spread in China long before Beijing announced it. Even if they knew they didn’t announce it, because the moment a country announces this, a lot of trouble comes in. So I think the virus had already entered Iran; we had the flu epidemic in the country at the same time. Many of the cases were thought to be H1N1, so it was thought to be flu. This is while China had not announced the spread of the virus yet. Of course, we should have acted more watchfully. I think we were a little late in the announcement because we did not know it is coronavirus. We had extensive communication with China and there was a lot of traveling. When it is announced late in China, the virus enters Iran and during this time is regarded as the flu. As you mentioned, we had this respiratory disease, especially in the holy city of Qom and some other cities, but we all considered it as flu. When we got closer to the peak and China announced its tests and kits arrived in Iran, we announced its outbreak.

Q: A Chinese official told one of our country’s officials that this was a US biological war against China, but the details cannot be explained more. Do you confirm this?

A: Our estimates do not show such a thing. In fact, we had other epidemics, whether in the past 20 to 30 years or in the far past. If this is a biological war, the US itself will be most affected by the virus. Perhaps one of the countries that most clearly reported the number of deaths and infections was Iran. I am sure this virus exists in our neighbouring countries including Turkey and so on, but they hide it for whatever reason. The same is happening in the US and Europe. You see the situation in Italy and South Korea. This is very unlikely to be a biological war.

Q: The WHO also announced that we have the most transparent numbers. The WHO representative came to Iran. Is that right?

A: Yes, there was also a team of Chinese experts who were experienced in the field and traveled to Iran, and we had a meeting with them. We are working with the World Health Organisation and all the researchers and specialists in the world who are expert in this field. We designed numerous research programs. There is a page throughout the country and around the world called “Corona Research” that you can first screen yourself to see if you have this virus. It tells you if you have to stay home or go to the hospital. Then, we record the information of all those who have the disease so that everything that was in Iran is registered. The information is available to family members. We started several treatment projects because this is a new virus and there is no definitive cure for it. We designed several studies to find the most effective drug for this virus, especially in Iran. Today, it turned out that this virus is not one type but there are two types of the virus.

Q: How is the research going on? Are there any studies on this?

A: Yes. One of the things we do at the national level is to measure the blood oxygen level of people with shortness of breath. We do it with a device and we don’t have to take their blood. It is just enough to put a finger on it. When the blood oxygen level drops below 90 percent, it means that the person’s infection is one of the most severe ones and s/he must be hospitalised. In addition, we immediately designed some great studies; one of which is screening of the whole population. Another is to record all the patients’ information. The next point is that the blood test is very important. Via a blood test you can say if someone is infected. If the person has been infected and improved, you will understand and you don’t have to worry. We’re working hard on this.

Q: Have we achieved this?

A: Yes. Two days ago in Singapore they did a good test and we use the same experience in Iran.

Q: Do you think the warm season would weaken the virus?

A: Yes. The highest temperature for this virus is 28 and 29 degrees Celsius. When it is on the sofa and desk, it survives for a while and can be transmitted. The temperature over 30 degrees is not good for this virus. Many parts of our country may not reach this level. So what I think is very important is to avoid traveling and gatherings. Most importantly, do not be afraid and keep your spirits up. One of the things that deteriorates a mild sickness is fear and worry.

Iran Deplores NAM’s Failure to Defy US Sanctions

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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March 18, 2020

In a statement on Wednesday, Mousavi described the outbreak of coronavirus as a global challenge, saying all countries must be able to fight against the pandemic without any restriction.

Highlighting the international measures taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remove the obstacles to Iran’s battle with the coronavirus epidemic, the spokesperson said, “As part of the efforts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran made a request from the Member States of the Non-Aligned Movement through the Republic of Azerbaijan, which holds the rotating presidency of NAM, that the movement voice opposition to the US’ unilateral sanctions in a statement and call on that country (the US) to halt its illegal and unilateral sanctions against our country for the purpose of fighting against the coronavirus as a global challenge.”

“Unfortunately, a number of Member States of the (Non-Aligned) Movement, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Morocco, Hadi’s regime in Yemen etc. officially opposed the issuance of that statement and have ruined the consensus among the NAM (Member States),” the spokesperson added.

Mousavi then expressed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s appreciation of the countries that have voiced solidarity and sympathy with Iran in the battle with the outbreak of the dangerous virus, adding, “Meanwhile, it’s a great pity that a couple of Arab and Islamic governments, which are mainly our neighbors, have taken such measure against the people of Iran under such perilous circumstances, have disregarded the requisites of good neighborliness in the international relations, and have disdained the age-old traditions of neighborliness and friendship among the Muslims. This is while the interruption or failure of the battle with such global epidemic will turn it into a global catastrophe and no country will be immune (from it).”